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Students report for the first class at 7:30 in the morning dressed smartly in their uniforms.   The older Seniors 5’s and6’s are dressed in blue shirts and black shirts/trousers, and the lower classes have white shirts and green skirts/trousers  

If we were in the courtyard between buildings, we could hear the voices of lecturing teachers. Mr. Omiat is talking about the Great Lakes region in the US or Lake Victoria in Geography.  Mr. Orena is explaining how to find the area of a sphere.  Both of these teachers are good at getting the students to relax, laugh and have fun while they are learning.  .  A hand bell rings to indicate the end of this class period.

Mid-morning there is a 30 minute tea break between classes.  Teachers gather in the staff room to enjoy tea.  Students spread out over the compound…some hitting the books and others catching a few minutes of a soccer game.  

Again the handbell rings and students and teachers head back to class.  Some teachers have free time, and visit on the benches on the bench on the administrative building veranda or take a couple of chairs and sit under the tree while correcting assignments and overseeing the school compound.  A boda boda {Ugandan all-purpose taxi] goes through the compound delivering tomatoes and onions or the meat for lunch.  A visitor signs in with security at the gate and reports to the Head Teacher’s office.  A parent is waiting on the veranda to see their child.

The next handbell means lunch time. While some students head for the kitchen to get lunch, others participate in 15 minutes of singing praise and a time of prayer which fills the compound with the reminder that it is a Christian school.  Later in the afternoon, the Scripture Union leadership meet for a time of prayer in the Chaplain’s office. They may be meeting behind closed doors, but their fervent cry to the Lord overflows into the administrative block and beyond.

The road running in front of the school compound is always busy during the day with trucks, taxis, bodas and pedestrians.  The squealing of a baby pig echoes off the neighboring house.  The gobbling of the family of turkeys that has taken up their abode in the compound continues behind the administrative building.  Native birds sing.  A baby cries and children play.  The sound system of a neighboring vendor is turned on at its highest volume.

The last bell of the afternoon is at 5:00. Students pour out of their classrooms and toward the hostels. After changing into casual uniforms – Tshirts and black pants or skirts, some begin a volleyball game at one end of the compound.  Maybe a soccer game begins on the other end of the compound.  After supper, students gather in their classrooms for study and discussion until it is time to close their books for the day and return to their hostels.  Before students crawl into their beds and without a complaint from neighbors, a time of corporate praise and prayer rises heavenward from each hostel.  Another day has drawn to a close, another day in which these students can grow, recover from past difficulties, and anticipate a future much brighter than their pasts.   

Student Life at Beacon of Hope College

Everyday life at Beacon of Hope College: while students are not in class they hang out at their dorms. These are hostels located across the road from the school. Bunks are 3-tier, mosquito nets are everywhere, and space is tight. But the students manage to study and prove themselves academically. Photos: I. Lippke

Related Links: Beacon Of Hope Secondary School